Nashville Dining News: Kayne Prime Steakhouse

On a recent trip to Nashville, I was stuffed and satisfied after a meal at Kayne Prime, which opened last spring in the trendy Gulch area, and is named for the historic Kayne switch yard.

Let's start with aesthetics, as Kayne Prime is a stunner. There's a definite steakhouse vibe, with clean lines, hard surfaces, and big booths, but all that is warmed up by caramel leather seating distressed just enough to create a cozy, lived-in look, and wood planking that lends farmhouse-style rusticity to the mix.

Chef Robbie Wilson's menu, like the design, is mostly that of a traditional steakhouse but also something more. The beef options, including bone-in tenderloin, skirt steak, Wagyu filet mignon, and NY Strip, don't disappoint, being both perfectly cooked (medium rare was in fact medium rare, something that's lately become a bit of a "rare" occurrence) and well seasoned with a salty, crustiness. Moving into the other meats, Kayne's pork chop is a juicy and tender take on a steakhouse standard, but it's served with chicarrones, a.k.a. fried pork rinds.

Starters and sides are where Wilson really aspires to break out of the steakhouse box. There are recognizable classics, such as the iceberg wedge, a special house bacon, and creamed spinach, but most are given unique, often Southern- or market-inspired twists, and they share menu space with unexpected dishes like farro salad, edamame, and duck tostada. We shared the rock shrimp (beautifully light rather than heavy), the wedge (brightened with a Roquefort-green goddess dressing), macaroni gratinée (creamy mac and cheese made all the better with roasted jalapeño and applewood-smoked bacon), charred broccoli (a one-dish argument for roasting the cruciferous veggie), and the side I can't stop thinking about and am hatching plans to replicate at home, cream corn brulée. It's just what it sounds like, soft, creamy, earthy corn pudding topped with a brittle and sweet bruléed crust. On top of all this, each table gets a pile of buttery, salty popovers.